The Research and Creativity Committee administers a grants program to facilitate research, scholarly, and artistic productivity by the faculty. The program is intended to provide seed money for projects that have potential for external funding. Full-time faculty employed at the rank of instructor or above are eligible to apply. Non-teaching faculty may apply in collaboration with teaching faculty who are principal investigators. Members of the Faculty Research and Creativity Committee are not eligible to apply for funding during their term on the committee. There will be a single grants competition with a deadline of Thursday, December 14th. Awards will be announced in January.

Funding is only available for graduate assistants. No funds are available for other operating expenditures (OOE), so proposals should only request funds for a graduate assistant.

GRADUATE ASSISTANTS 

Applicants may request a graduate assistant, to work on the project, to assist with teaching to provide release time for the principal investigator, or a combination of the two. The role of the principal investigator and the graduate assistant (whether RA or GTA) must be specifically delineated in the body of the proposal. If a GTA is requested, that assistant must be teaching a credit-producing class to qualify as a GTA. In addition, at least half of the duties of the graduate teaching assistant must be focused on teaching. Assistants may be requested for a semester, two semesters, a summer, or any combination up to a maximum of 12 months. They should be requested only for periods during which work will be conducted on the project, as indicated by the schedule of work in the methods section of the proposal. If necessary, requests for assistantships may be funded for periods less than what was requested. 

Stipends will be $600/biweekly for both research and teaching assistants, or $12,000 for an academic year assistantship. Stipends may be increased depending upon the availability of funds. These figures should be used for assistantship requests for FY 2025. Assistantship funds may NOT be requested for the current fiscal year or for periods beyond FY 2025.

EVALUATION CRITERIA 

Please refer to the Evaluation Checklist that will be used by the Faculty Research Committee in evaluating individual proposals. The checklist includes the points assigned to the criteria discussed below. Applicants are strongly encouraged to use this checklist when preparing their proposals.

The following are the major criteria to be used in the selection process:

1. Potential for producing a scholarly or creative product of high quality, such as a paper in a refereed journal or an artistic product selected for a juried exhibition, or leading to advancement of knowledge.

2. Quality of the proposal. Organization, clarity of writing, and evidence of having read and carefully applied the information contained in this announcement and in the attached guide to proposal preparation.

3. Potential for providing background work that can strengthen a proposal for outside funding. Applicant must clearly demonstrate knowledge of potential funding sources and must outline plans to pursue external funding.

Other factors that will be used in the selection process include the following:

1. Special consideration will be given to proposals from faculty who have not previously received support. The Committee has a goal of awarding at least 25% of the available funds to first-time applicants, contingent upon receiving a sufficient number of worthy proposals from such applicants. In the instance of a first-time applicant working in collaboration with an experienced investigator, the points assigned for this criteria will be averaged between the two.

2. Applicants who have received prior support from the committee should provide evidence that such support resulted in an external grant or proposal, or provide an explanation for why external funds were not sought.

3. Collaborative projects, interdisciplinary proposals, proposals that involve students as co-investigators, and proposals that collaborate with off-campus entities are especially encouraged. Faculty members can be involved in only one proposal per year, either as principal investigator or as a collaborator.

4. Extensions or continuations of projects currently funded by the committee are not generally supported. Requests of this type should clearly document the progress of the research/work and should include justification for continued support.

The following activities are not eligible for funding:

• Projects designed primarily for internal benefits, such as curriculum development, improving administration or management, are not funded. However, applied research and research on teaching and learning are eligible for consideration.

• Projects related to satisfying degree requirements of the grantee.

DURATION OF PROJECTS AND REPORTING

Each project may be active for a period of up to 12 months. The actual work need not encompass the entire grant period, but the methods section should include a schedule of work within the award period. A final report must be submitted to the committee by the date specified in the award letter. The report format is flexible, but should thoroughly demonstrate what was accomplished, what the outcomes were, and what the plans for seeking external funding are. Whenever possible, copies of published works or works submitted for publication should be attached. The final report should be forwarded to the Research and Grants Center electronically. Failure to submit a final report will jeopardize future support from the Committee.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Any publications or creative products that result from an award should acknowledge support from the Faculty Research and Creativity Committee of Emporia State University.

WHAT AND WHERE TO SUBMIT

A copy of the proposal should be sent bjones17@emporia.edu. You are encouraged to contact the Research and Grants Center or a member of the committee if you have any questions regarding the program guidelines or the eligibility of your project.

FACULTY RESEARCH AND CREATIVITY COMMITTEE, 2023-2024

Chair

Dipak Ghosh - dghosh@emporia.edu - x5891

Executive Secretary

Jerald Spotswood - Dean, Graduate School and Distance Education - jspotswo@emporia.edu (x5403)

The Teachers College

Nancy Albrecht - nalbrech@emporia.edu - x5775

Neal Luo - mluo@emporia.edu - x5835

School of Business & Technology

Khalid Aram - karam@emporia.edu - x5784

Dipak Ghosh - dghosh@emporia.edu - x5891

School of Science & Mathematics

Erika Martin - emartin7@emporia.edu - x5612

Claudia Aguirre Mendez - caguirr2@emporia.edu - x5958

School of Applied Health Sciences

Clara Corn - ccorn@emporia.edu - x5220

School of Humanities & Social Sciences

David Westfall - dwestfal@emporia.edu - x5718

School of Visual & Performing Arts

Freeze Tracy - tfreeze@emporia.edu - x4029

School of Library and Information Management & Library and Archives

Michael Widdersheim - mwidders@emporia.edu - x5283 

PROPOSAL PREPARATION

The following format should be used and includes the various elements that are important for proposal evaluation. The format may vary to best describe your proposed project; however, it is to your benefit to label each component as they are listed on this page. It is important to remember that individuals outside of your discipline will review your proposal; therefore, technical jargon should be avoided and proposals should be written as clearly as possible. Proposals are to include page numbers and are not to exceed ten pages, excluding the vita and cover page. Click here for cover page.

I. Introduction 

Describe in general terms what you want to accomplish, such as hypotheses to be tested, creative object to be produced, or other appropriate introduction to the work proposed. Here and throughout the proposal avoid technical jargon and explain what you propose to do in plain English. Committee members who are not experts in your field will review it.

II. Background 

Provide a short review of the relevant literature to acquaint readers with the current state of knowledge in the field. If applicable, review your own previous work in the field.

III. Significance of Proposed Work

Explain how your project will complement existing knowledge. How is it particularly significant or important? NOTE: You are marketing your idea; it is your job to convince the committee of the significance of your work. Remember, faculty who are not experts in your field will review your proposal.

IV. Methodology

Describe the research methods for the proposed project. Include details of design, data collection and analysis, or a description of the creative process, as applicable. Also, include a timetable for accomplishing specific tasks. If requesting a graduate assistantship, specifically delineate the role of both the principal investigator and the GA. If a survey or questionnaire is being used in the project, a copy or preliminary draft must be attached. If the project involves the use of human or animal subjects, attach a copy of your application to the Institutional Review Board for Treatment of Human Subjects or the Animal Care and Use Committee. (Approval is not required at this stage.)

V. Expected Outcomes

State if the completed work or artistic product will lead to publication, exhibition, or performance. Identify specific journals to which you may submit a manuscript, or where you might exhibit or perform this work. Describe how the work will provide useful background information that will strengthen a proposal that you plan to submit to an outside funding agency or how it will provide additional research opportunities. You must clearly demonstrate knowledge of potential funding sources in your discipline and must outline specific plans to pursue future external funding.

VI. Literature Cited

List references in a format appropriate for your discipline.

VII. Budget

Proposals should only include a budget for the graduate research assistant.

VIII. Vita

Emphasize only relevant research or creative accomplishments in four pages or less per applicant. Include a list of projects previously funded by the committee, as well as a sampling of publications or outcomes resulting from those projects, including external grants received and proposals submitted to external funding agencies.